Birthday of Tam Kung

Tam Kung’s Birthday falls on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month.

Tam Kung is revered amongst fishermen and coastal communities, and worshipped uniquely in Hong Kong. Born in Huizhou prefecture in Guangdong province during the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368), Tam Kung was said to be capable of forecasting the weather and healing the ill when he was a child. He is usually portrayed as an 80-year-old man with the face of a 12-year-old child because he is believed to have achieved wisdom at a young age and learned the secret of remaining forever young.

Info

Date:

30 April 2020

Festivities at Shau Kei WanOne of the principal events of this festival takes place at the most impressive and oldest Tam Kung Temple, located in Shau Kei Wan.

Built in 1905 and reconstructed in 2002, the temple's original design is carefully preserved. Inside you’ll find an iron bell and a stone tablet that date back to the construction of the temple. There are also models of a wooden junk and dragon boat. It is believed that the boulder in front of the temple bears the seal of Tam Kung. Here, every year, devotees mark his birthday with an array of ceremonies, including dragon and lion dances and a street parade.